title: Effects of ethanol on axon outgrowth and branching in developing rat cortical neurons.
abstract: Humans exposed prenatally to ethanol can exhibit brain abnormalities and cognitive impairment similar to those seen in patients expressing mutant forms of the L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM). The resemblance suggests that L1CAM may be a target for ethanol, and consistent with this idea, ethanol can inhibit L1CAM adhesion in cell lines and L1CAM-mediated outgrowth and signaling in cerebellar granule neurons. However, it is not known whether ethanol inhibits L1CAM function in other neuron types known to require L1CAM for appropriate development. Here we asked whether ethanol alters L1CAM function in neurons of the rat cerebral cortex. We find that ethanol does not alter axonal polarization, L1CAM-dependent axon outgrowth or branching, or L1CAM recycling in axonal growth cones. Thus, ethanol inhibition of L1CAM is highly dependent on neuronal context.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Mintz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: McNickle
authors.forename: S R J
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Salton
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Benson
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D004705:Endocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020439:Growth Cones / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015820:Cadherins; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; D000431:Ethanol